Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Felix Fimbres | Sgt. 1st Class Randy Oler is the founder Operation Toy Drop, an event in which...... read more read more
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FORT BRAGG, N.C. - Randy Oler, according to close friends, was a man’s man, a true American, huger than life, a gentle giant and who’s only weakness was children. So when he approached four of his close friends about an idea he had that involved an airborne operation, foreign jumpmasters, toys, children, and lots of fun, they all jumped on board.
Operation Toy Drop, hosted by the U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (Airborne), was born in 1998. That December, after eight months of planning, USACAPOC(A)'s first annual Operation Toy Drop had been completed on a prayer and multiple handshakes between Oler and several organizations around the Fort Bragg community.
“You all have got to understand that Randy was six foot three inches or so and on a good skinny day maybe weighed about 250 pounds,” explained Becki Caldwell, a close friend and head elf for Operation Toy Drop. “He was a Tennessee country boy that loved his Tennessee college football team, who was SF and a ranger — a man’s man, as we all jokingly said.”
“When Randy asked you to do something you’d be honored because, one, you weren’t sure if it was legal, two, you’re not sure if you were going to get away with it, and three, it was going to be fun,” joked Caldwell, who was then a staff sergeant for USACAPOC(A) at the time. “So we figured, okay, the air operation is legal and we figured with enough buds around here we could get it done, and it sounded fun. It was, but we didn’t think we’d ever see another one.”
The first Operation Toy Drop, with the help of Marine pilots, was very small and collected a small amount of toys, but in the years to follow the operation continued to grow, grossing up to about 35,000 toy donations since its beginning. Last year, the event drew more than 2,000 paratroopers, 2,900 toys, and 24 allied jumpmasters.
“I thought that the idea, the concept that he [Oler] came up with, was an awesome idea,” said Willie Wellbrook, loadmaster and retired Air Force master sergeant. “Not only for the fact that the jumpers get something out of it but also the big thing was the kids – it’s all about the kids. And I was more than happy to jump on that bandwagon.”
The 13th Annual Randy Oler Memorial Operation Toy Drop has become the largest joint airborne operation held by the Army Reserve’s USACAPOC(A) with the help of Pope AFB’s 43rd and 440th Airlift Wings, the participation of Soldiers from Fort Bragg's XVIII Airborne Corps, 82nd Airborne Division and Special Operations Command.
The operation gives the military community the opportunity to help families in need over the holiday season. Paratroopers bring an unwrapped toy to donate in exchange for the opportunity to get foreign jump wings from allied soldiers around the world. This year’s event will host allied jumpmasters from 10 different countries.
Operation Toy Drop is scheduled Dec. 11 on Sicily Drop zone at 8:00 a.m., is promised to be bigger and better this year, allowing more toys to be given to families in need. Drop-off boxes will be available for the first time so that the community surrounding Fort Bragg can join in the season of giving. The local hockey team, the FireAntz, will also be collecting toys during their military appreciation game, Dec. 4.
As the operation grew, more toys were brought in for children in need. Even as USACAPOC(A) soldiers were sent overseas in support of the global war on terrorism, the soldiers that remained stateside continued the tradition. In 2001, each child who lost a family member in the Sept. 11 attacks received a toy raised in the following December's Operation Toy Drop.
Oler, a Tennessee native, joined the Army in 1979 as an infantryman, spending time in Ranger and Special Forces battalions throughout his career, and had deployed in support of Operations Desert Storm, Provide Comfort and Joint Endeavor. In 1995, he joined USACAPOC(A) to become a civil affairs specialist. During the December 2003 Operation Toy Drop, the event was named in honor of Oler.
“He loved to drink his Mountain Dew and had to have his cigarette with it. You had to get to know him, and when you got to know him — once you learned to know him — you loved him,” said Harris Luther, Prime Knight manager for Pope Air Force Base and met Oler while coaching youth sports. “[He was] just a true American and very caring person. You can’t describe [Oler] in just one word. He truly cared about people. You just can’t say enough good things about him.”
By April of 2004, Oler had been promoted to Sgt. 1st Class and was finishing up an assignment at the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School. With relocation orders in hand and the USACAPOC(A) commanding general fighting the orders, Oler was already preparing for that year’s Operation Toy Drop. Oler warned his friends that he may not be there to fulfill his duties for the operation, but he was still able to prepare as long as he could.
On April 20, 2004, Sgt. 1st Class Randall R. Oler suffered a heart attack while performing jumpmaster duties aboard a C-130 aircraft. At 43 years old, Oler was pronounced dead at Womack Army Medical Center. After Oler’s death, the operation was dedicated to him in memorial.
“Losing Randy was real hard, because I was here the night Randy passed away on the aircraft,” explained Wellbrook. “I got the call that we had an in-flight emergency. I just didn’t realize at the time who it was until the next day. Losing Randy was tough because Randy was the heart and soul of this operation.”
Close friends couldn’t see continuing on Operation Toy Drop without Oler; that year’s event was in jeopardy. Oler was able to do all the coordinating in his head and didn’t write anything down. But by August, Oler’s friends looked at each other and decided that Oler would have wanted them to continue on to help the children around the community.
“He would have been kicking us in the butt if we had decided not to do it because he wasn’t here. We would have wasted all the years he put into it,” said Caldwell. “So, we revitalized ourselves and got started.”
“The next couple of years were pretty rough, not because of the loss of Randy, but because it was like a horse leading us to the barn. We knew where we wanted to go, but we just didn’t have the heart,” agreed Scott Murray, friend and former soldier in the XVIII Airborne Corps. “This year, something happened with us originals; we’re called the originals, the old timers, or the fuddy duddy’s — whatever you want to call us. But we’ve been here since the beginning and I think Randy would love it because he would be right here with us.”
“We have said that if Randy could see us now, he’d be laughing that [the operation] has gone from ‘hey bubby, can you help me get 200 people on a jump to maybe having 2,000 people jumping for the first day alone and possibly having 4,000 to 5,000 toy donations,” laughed Caldwell.
“I don’t think you’ll ever meet another person like Randy,” Wellbrook reflected. “Randy left a legacy and I think his legacy is what he said on the back of that pickup truck with [friend], Scott Murray. It’s was what he could do for local kids and he hit the ground running. It’s blown into a huge operation and I think Toy Drop will be here as long as kids are in need.”
For more information about donating toys, attending the event, locations of toy donation drop-off boxes, or the FireAntz military appreciation games, visit www.optoydrop.net.
(Editors note: This is the final part of a multi-story series that will explain what Operation Toy Drop is, who started it, and the people who have operated it since the beginning. This week’s topic is about Randy Oler, the brains and founder of Operation Toy Drop.)
| Date Taken: | 12.07.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 12.07.2010 14:56 |
| Story ID: | 61514 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 200 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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